July 27 – Day 27

The last night with the Shads was hectic, bittersweet and slightly surreal. Four weeks of jam-packed schedules had made most of us already pretty sleep deprived, but we certainly weren’t going to miss out on the last few precious minutes with the people who had effectively become our family over the past month.

Past midnight, all the Shads assembled in the basement dance studio to sign month books, exchange phone numbers and reminisce. From there, we trickled out into smaller groups – talking, dancing or learning tai-chi with Chris at 3:00 a.m. I had some of the most meaningful and memorable conversations at 4:00 a.m., only hours away from parting with my friends.

At 6:00 a.m., after I had lugged my packed suitcase downstairs, we had one more Shad group hug before I climbed into the taxi. Everyone was considerably damp from the crying, and I hopped out of the taxi more than once for a last-minute hug and reassurance that a reunion was happening soon. Finally, driving away to the airport, I had the feeling you get when you just wake up from a really great dream. The program is over, but I know that the Shad Valley experience is not.

Saima Desai, Shad Valley Laval 2012

July 27 – Day 27

Being the blogger for the last day of Shad Valley is an interesting predicament. On one hand, you have the terrible burden of summarizing a very short day – a half day in fact. Yet you also have the wonderful opportunity of explaining what Shad Valley really is about.

The day immediately started after the awesome variety show the day prior. At 12:00 am, the Program Directors and Program Assistants led the Shadults down to the basement of the First Baptist Church. In the pitch-black room, our coordinator Jeremy led us in an emotional exercise where Shads anonymously thanked their friends by tapping them on the shoulder.

We were later led into a discussion about the effects Shad Valley had on us. After obtaining a glowing lamp, the courageous volunteer would stand up and address the crowd about what the program meant to him or her. It was an emotional experience, with frequent bursts of sobbing from members of the crowd. The thought-provoking speeches by our wonderful staff did not help either. After the faucet of tears went dry, we went back into the Cameron Room, where we spent the rest of the night (technically morning?) signing month books and crying some more. We left Howe Hall, sad to leave our friends behind, but excited for what was to come.

So what is Shad Valley? Is it the trips? The lectures? The games? Shadditude? The truth is, Shad Valley can be many things to many people. For me, it meant acceptance and encouragement, and the willingness to jump outside my comfort zone. Nowhere else will you find a group of such friendly and like-minded people.

Shad Valley is a paradigm shift. It’s a catalyst for change. It transforms you to do things you never thought possible. In the memorable words of our leader Jeremy, I discovered that, after Shad Valley… I’m not the me I used to be.

Joshua Tseng-Tham, Shad Valley Dalhousie 2012

July 27 – Day 27

I woke up from a short nap after a long night filled with dance parties and frantic month book signing. Feeling groggy from lack of sleep, it didn’t seem at all real that the magical month was nearing to an end. Reality only hit when I wandered down to the cafeteria to see the Shads cherishing their last moments together with hugs and tears.

I became painfully aware of the possibility that I may never see some of these people again and that the magic of Shad Valley had come to an end, only to be relived as a memory. Tears started to stream down my face as I tried to imagine days devoid of Program Director Ed Jernigan’s sophisticated math lectures, Grebel’s generous cookies, late-night dance parties, intense foosball matches, trips to the student life centre and precious conversations with my roomie. I had taken the community for granted and only when it was time to leave was I truly able to gauge the value of the friendships and bonds.

I’m privileged to have met my fellow Shads and staff, and I believe that one day we will see each other again. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Sally Choi, Shad Valley Waterloo 2012

July 26 – Day 26

At last, the dreaded last day before we leave Shad Valley has arrived. I woke up with a wave of sadness washing over me, knowing the fact that everyone would depart their own separate ways back to their hometown soon.

To start off my day, we had our two last enriching Shad Speaks presented by staff members Luke Russell and Dan Horner in the Lecture Hall that we will surely miss. Then, we prepared for Open Day as we set up decorations and display boards. Everyone was assigned a different task and, for me, I was assigned to give presentations to parents and the media and showcase the major entrepreneurship project that my group, the Hot Pink House, has worked tediously on for the past month. Some Shads also got exciting interviews with the CBC!

As soon as Open Day ended, everyone quickly scrambled to clean up and change into formal clothes for the Banquet. When we arrived, we took amazing pictures with our friends and got settled down to eat scrumptious food. Later on at the Variety Show, various Shads performed a wide range of wonderful acts, such as awe-inspiring piano playing, cool rapping, deep poetry, sensational singing and graceful instrumental music, which made me realize how special and talented each of us is. We ended the night with our awesome Shad Song: a remix of “Teenage Dream”, which incorporated all the jokes and memories we’ve had over the past month.

Heading back to Prescott House, the closing ceremony commenced. It finished off with a trust ceremony in the Architecture Pit, and we also reflected on our Shad Valley experience in the Dunton Tower with deep emotions pouring out. Every Shad pulled an all-nighter in Prescott House as we reminisced and struggled to sign each other’s month books. Before we knew it, Shads began to leave for home one by one as we embraced each other with tearful eyes.

This brings us to the conclusion of the magnificent and life-changing program called Shad Valley 2012. All of us have changed as individuals and formed new life-long friends that we will never forget. It has truly been an amazing month where we have never been happier.

For all the 2012 Shads: You never really leave the friends you love, part of them you take with you, leaving a part of yourself behind. There comes a time when friends depart but that is only the start of a magical journey that each of us will embark on to achieve success. Thank you to all the Shads for making my month a memorable and unforgettable experience. Until we meet again!

Zhengguang Chen, Shad Valley Carleton 2012

July 26 – Day 26

It is the end.

How can such a diverse and life-changing month possibly be summed up? One day won’t do it, but today, the last day before we leave, comes close.

Frantic preparations consume the morning. Then there is Open Day, where we showcase our House’s work. Soon we are released for the banquet. The girls are going insane with preparations... I throw on my make-up and discard clothes on my bed and almost forget my cue cards for the Variety Show as we rush to the banquet.

First are some short speeches, then food, then the presentation of the Hank Williams Memorial award, for an enthusiastic, welcoming, inclusive, and musically gifted Shad: Colin.

The Variety Show begins at 9:30 PM with a Bollywood dance as fellow MC Steve and I rehearse our parts backstage. When we come out we are wearing matching bright yellow Newfoundland waterproof hats. I don’t know about me, but Steve looks hilarious in his suit topped with the Sou’Wester.

My personal favourite act is when Steve, Colin and three other guys dance. Meant to be completely ridiculous, the five guys do things like stroking each other’s ties while mouthing the lyrics to each other while the audience laughs along. I really hope someone recorded their performance. The second-last performance is by the staff, where they act as Shads and say things we say all the time: “Where’s Patrick?”, “Dr. Lye, I’m tired…” The show ends with the all-Shad act, where we sing about Shad Valley Memorial 2012 to the tune of “the Lazy Song”.

The Variety Show ends at 11:30. Then all 54 Shads gather in the lobby and are told to be completely quiet. Finally, Chris, a Program Assistant, leads us out of the building and into the night. We stop under a huge tree and listen to the eerily loud birds screeching in the trees around us. As Chris talks about building the community of Shads, I hear my friend beside me begin to cry.

Four weeks earlier, on the first day of Shad Valley, we were given free time before the program officially started. Expecting the Shads to go off in different directions, the staff instead found all 54 Shads sitting together under this massive tree: complete strangers ready to become best friends with no facilitation required.

The staff tell us this story on the last night under darkness, under the tree where everything started. More people are crying now. As we proceed to our next unknown destination, all the Shads walk in each other’s arms. We stop next at a small clock tower. It is midnight exactly. Another short speech, more tears, then we move on again.

This “campus tour” is Shad Valley on a smaller scale: the past month we never knew what we were going to do next, but we had each other and the bonds we had formed and the trust we freely gave, and it was enough. It is the same thing now; the staff leading us in the darkness to each new destination; the Shads following with their arms around each other, holding each other up.

Soon we arrive back at the Landing Room. I remember running out of these doors, ecstatic with the success of the Variety Show less than an hour ago. Now I am sombre and mournful, incredibly aware of these bonds I’ve unconsciously made with my fellow Shads, and more fearful than ever to lose them.

Sitting in a circle, we each take a stone from a cloth bag and then talk about what we’re feeling. Some speeches are short, some are long, some Shads speak through their tears and some sound strong. After the Shads share their feelings, the staff follow. I am amazed by how much we have touched their hearts, although I shouldn’t be since from day one I have felt the love and compassion they have openly offered us. After, we return to the lobby for hoodie and documentary distributions, and MUNth book signings.

It is the end of Shad Valley.

To my Shad Valley Memorial siblings: I will miss you forever and I love you all. Oh, and the Shad Valley Entrepreneurship Cup is ours.

Linshia Luan, Shad Valley Memorial 2012

July 26 – Day 26

I am writing this as everyone is sleeping, signing, hugging, crying and reminiscing. Let’s start at the beginning of the day. 7am: BZZZ! Alarm bells ring as a rush of adrenaline runs through my body. This is the last day! No, I’m serious! This is the last day! The last day of Shad Valley UNB 2012.

The morning prep, packing, as well as open day, passed in a blur. And then it was upon us: the Banquet. This one was extra special, as (first of all) the chicken was excellent. However, what made it extra special was our honouring Trevor Nason, an enthusiastic, dedicated mentor who died in a motorcycle accident after his Shad Valley Program Assistant job. The ceremony spread an air of realization over us; the fragility of life cannot be underestimated.

Undoubtedly the best show of the month came in the evening’s Variety Show, as dancers, jugglers, singers and puppeteers all graced the stage. Past midnight, we were all taken to a grassy clearing where the induction to the Shad Valley Alumni Society was conducted. Wise words were passed in addition to a fascinating drinking water/candle lighting ceremony. Absolutely the deepest moment of the month; expressions of sympathy, enlightenment and regret were shared.

This brings us to the end of the beginning of the absolutely wonderful program known as Shad Valley 2012. I would like to borrow this quote from my friend Evan: “Don’t be sad that it’s over; be happy that it happened.”

To all the 2012 Shads: hardships and challenges surely will come across our days. It is the way that we overcome them that sets us apart. There comes a time in the life of every generation when it is necessary to put together our hope and efforts to achieve greatness. Our journey has just begun.

See you soon at greatness!

Chris Zhu, Shad Valley UNB 2012

July 25 – Day 25

Today was a great day for Shad Valley Carleton. To begin, after the usual quotidian Shad News and Shad Blogging committee updates, we had an inspiring lecture from a familiar face: Al Pilcher. In this talk he focused on the determination and the perception of life by providing the example of a father who took his disabled son on many sports ventures. It certainly was eye-opening and poignant when we saw the perseverance and dedication of the father.

Next we proceeded to committee time where we worked in our respective committees: being in the blogging committee, we spend the hour and a half covering all the Shad Speaks that were done in the past weeks and finished just barely.

Afterward, we went to the Architecture Pit for some relaxing yoga. For some of us it wasn't as relaxing since our bodies weren't nearly flexible enough to do some of the poses. We could all agree, however, that the corpse pose (lying down on the ground) was the most relaxing since it provided us with the opportunity to catch up on lost sleep.

We had a setup for Open Day after lunch where we began to prepare for the arrival of parents, lecturers, etc. to view the Shad Valley Carleton work. The theme this year was deemed "Journey through the Shad Body" where different rooms of Prescott were assigned different body parts. For example, I am currently sitting in the study lounge, which is the eyes of Shad Valley Carleton. My group worked on a Rube Goldberg machine, and quite frankly, it is much harder than it looks.

So we then listened to a lecture by Sam Dube and Dr. Kate Oakley, which was a great lecture closing. Talking about goal setting and speaking on motivation, Sam certainly has inspired us with his talks. Kate talked about her artwork, which was beautiful, full of meaning, and simply amazing.

We then had to clean up our rooms, which was a difficult task to do, not only because they were so messy, but because none of us wanted to leave. But the rooms ended up tidy, and after some House time, where Yellow House shared some honest and true feelings, we went to the Architecture Pit for a Late Night hosted by Blue House. It was in the theme of a campfire and we watched slide-shows of our memories here at Shad Valley.

Needless to say, today was both the saddest day of Shad Valley so far, and the happiest. Let's make the best out of tomorrow Shad Valley Carleton.

Andy Xia, Shad Valley Carleton 2012